The narrative is: Canadian guy meets Hiroshima gal, then they have a couple of baby girls. The lighter side of bicultural parenting.

November 29, 2011

New Narcotic: Blue Fall

Addiction:a. Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance.b. The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something.

Imagine yourself suspended 107 meters in the air, legs and arms dangling in the abyss that lies only inches away. Then, abruptly you’re hurtling toward the pavement below, the horizon a blur, and the only sounds are the air rushing past your ears—and your screams. I have ridden this Blue Fall to bliss at least seven times so far.

What I am referring to is an amusement park ride called the Blue Fall, at the Sea Paradise amusement park outside Yokohama.

This summer we bought a season pass to Sea Paradise because we thought we’d come a few times, see the aqua exhibitions, the aquarium, rides and other attractions, and the pass made it very economical. Lady E and M are easily entertained here, and, it seems, so am I. The Blue Fall tower caught my eye from the start – love at first fright? – and I soon found that I had gotten far more than I bargained for. I’d found a new addiction!

Click on the YouTube segment below and you’ll get a taste of the visceral euphoria induced by this ride.

We’ve been to Sea Paradise five times, and with each visit I clamor for more opportunities to strap into the Blue Fall chairs and drop, baby! It is such an intense rush that it has become an addiction. I’ve yet to experience anything like it, except for maybe skydiving.

The Rising Daughters can only watch this spectacle for now. When my folks came to visit recently, Naomi and I did a drop together (she is far better at handling the terrors of acrophobia than me) and I truly hope that seeing us reveling in the managed extremes of life –even for just a few seconds – will leave an positive, “go get ‘em” impression on the girls. Time will tell.

I recommend this ride or similar ones to anyone out there craving a thrill, because in those 5-10 hair-raising seconds that you are plummeting toward the Earth, everything in your life becomes crystal clear and focused (as you’re screaming). I adore the irony of a voluntary free fall mimicry of death just to feel truly alive.